Alisa Weilerstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alisa Weilerstein |
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Weilerstein in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Born | April 14, 1982 Rochester, New York, US |
| Genres | Classical |
| Instruments | Cello |
Alisa Weilerstein is a famous American classical cellist. She was born on April 14, 1982. In 2011, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship for her amazing talent. This award is sometimes called a "genius grant."
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About Alisa Weilerstein
Her Early Life and Musical Start
Alisa Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York. She started playing the cello when she was only four years old! The cello is a large string instrument that you play while sitting down.
When she was 13, Alisa performed for the very first time with a big orchestra. This was the Cleveland Orchestra, and she played a piece by the famous composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky called Variations on a Rococo Theme.
Performing Around the World
Alisa Weilerstein has traveled all over the world to play her cello. She has performed as a solo artist with major orchestras on four different continents. This means she plays the main cello part while the orchestra plays along with her.
She also enjoys playing chamber music. This is music played by a small group of musicians. Alisa often performs with her parents, who are also talented musicians. Her father, Donald Weilerstein, plays the violin, and her mother, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, plays the piano. Together, they are known as the Weilerstein Trio. Her brother, Joshua Weilerstein, is also a violinist and a conductor.
Awards and Education
Alisa Weilerstein has received many honors for her musical skills. In 2000 and 2001, she won an Avery Fisher Career Grant. She was also chosen for special programs for young, rising stars in music.
In 2004, she graduated from Columbia University in New York City. She studied Russian history there. In 2006, she won the Leonard Bernstein Prize at a music festival in Germany. Then, in 2011, she received the prestigious MacArthur Foundation "genius grant."
Playing New Music
Alisa Weilerstein loves to play new music written by living composers. She has worked closely with composers like Osvaldo Golijov, Lera Auerbach, and Joseph Hallman. She has performed the first-ever performances of some of their cello concertos and other pieces.
For example, in 2016, she played the first performance of Outscape, a cello concerto by Pascal Dusapin, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, she performed the world premiere of Matthias Pintscher's cello concerto "un despertar" with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Alisa plays a special cello made in 1730 by a craftsman named Domenico Montagnana.
Family Life
Since 2013, Alisa Weilerstein has been married to Rafael Payare, a conductor from Venezuela. They have two daughters.
Recent Projects
In 2023, Alisa started an exciting series of concerts called "FRAGMENTS." This project has six parts and combines 27 new pieces of music with the famous solo cello suites by Johann Sebastian Bach. It's a special experience that uses different senses, not just hearing.
Music Recordings
Alisa Weilerstein has recorded many albums, sharing her music with people all over the world. Here are some of her recordings:
- Brahms Cello Sonatas with Inon Barnatan (2024)
- Beethoven Cello Sonatas (2022)
- Bach Cello Suites (2020)
- Old Souls – Chamber Music for Flute and Strings (2019)
- Transfigured Night: Haydn & Schönberg with the Trondheim Soloists (2018)
- Works for Cello and Piano with Vivian Hornik Weilerstein
- Dvořák Trios with the Weilerstein Trio
- Joseph Hallman: Cello Concerto (live recording)
- Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
- Edward Elgar Cello Concerto, Elliott Carter Cello Concerto, Max Bruch Kol Nidrei with the Staatskapelle Berlin
- Solo Cello pieces by Zoltán Kodály, Osvaldo Golijov, Gaspar Cassadó, and Bright Sheng
See also
In Spanish: Alisa Weilerstein para niños
